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1500 questions
13
votes
1 answer
Compost in the sun or shade?
Is it better to have my compost pile in the sun, or in the shade? I have space on the north and south walls of my house, and want to know which would be a wiser place for the pile.
pizza247
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13
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2 answers
What is the environmental impact of replacing a vehicle?
I'm currently driving a Suzuki SX4 2008. It gets (supposedly) 30 MPG (9.4 l/100km) on highways, though I suspect it's much lower now because of the beating I have given the poor car and lack of proper maintenance.
I regret the choice because I…
dsollen
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13
votes
3 answers
Dealing with flies indoors: Carnivorous Plants
I was wondering about a sustainable chemical free way of dealing with house flies. Specifically, I thought to keep this from having too many possible answers and evolving into a discussion I am interested in how to work with Carnivorous plants; Like…
Jonathon
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13
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1 answer
How to incorporate browns in apartment food scrap compost?
I want to start composting my food scraps, however I want to make sure I have a good mix of browns and greens to minimize odors. I live in an apartment, so I don't have any soil, leaves or other yard scraps that I could use as browns. I don't…
lemontwist
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13
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5 answers
Lowering the heating thermostat at night: is it really worth it?
I've heard some very conflicting information regarding the effect of lowering the house heating thermostat at night. On one hand there are academic papers (such as Thermostat strategies impact on energy consumption in residential buildings, Energy…
lindelof
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13
votes
2 answers
How to sustainably deal with garbage?
Is it a bad idea to throw garbage down the public garbage chute? Sustainably speaking, garbage "dumps" & toxic incinerators don't seem like a sustainable method over time. Although maybe someone will invent a carbon zero incinerator/power generator…
Andrew
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13
votes
6 answers
Aerogel as home insulation?
I see that www.buyaerogel.com has begun to offer various insulating blankets, though it seems targeted for industrial use rather than consumer use.
Does this aerogel look like a suitable technology for home insulation in its current form? Or would…
Highly Irregular
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13
votes
2 answers
Purpose of a bottom container beneath a worm farm
I followed a video on building my own worm farm using styrofoam boxes. The video suggested having a box underneath the main box to collect the worm castings, so it required I put holes in the base of the main box and have an empty box…
going
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13
votes
3 answers
How to get rid of greenfly in roses and grapes without toxic chemicals?
We lost all our roses last summer, due to greenfly. The only solution we have so far found was highly toxic. Are the more sustainable alternatives?
Andra
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13
votes
3 answers
What can I do to give second life to half-drained batteries?
Suppose I'm replacing batteries in some powerful device like a flashlight - the flashlight will not even run on those batteries but some low power device like a TV remote or a wall clock will continue running on them for months. So there's a lot of…
sharptooth
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13
votes
3 answers
Complete composting novice with a bucket of stinky black slime--toss or keep?
We decided to start composting without doing any research on how to do it. Thus we began filling an old painters bucket with food scraps. No meat or milk or anything, but veggie and fruit scraps , egg shells, some coffee grounds, etc. We put a piece…
user782
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13
votes
1 answer
Are "eco-friendly" pens and pencils actually more sustainable than the conventional models?
There are a number of "eco-friendly" pens and pencils on the market advertising recycled content and other "green" features, but are they really as good as they look? Many standard wooden pencils use wood from fairly well-managed sources, and…
Evan Johnson
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13
votes
1 answer
How can an employer induce snack food companies to package in compostable materials?
My employer provides snacks to employees and generally uses compostable plates, cups, and utensils. However, a significant portion of the waste stream comes from the wrappers for things like chips and cookies. If my employer wishes to provide…
WilliamKF
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13
votes
2 answers
How plants survive in aquaponics?
Normally, we see in our garden that if there is an excess of water for certain plants (e.g. vegetable), they do not survive and their roots rot because of being soaked in water 24 hours a day.
The same situation is observed when there is continuous…
DataMiner
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13
votes
11 answers
How to deal with leafcutter ants?
The picture says it all. They strip a complete tree in a day of all its leaves. Can't blame them, because they use the leaves to make their own food, but they do attack my fig tree, roses, hibiscus, etc., and I would try anything to stop them,…
Earthliŋ
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